Life In Lockdown: My Observations On Productivity And Quality Of Life While Stuck Indoors

Call it Groundhog Day or Edge Of Tomorrow without all the excitement, this COVID-19 lockdown seems to have condemned extroverts to a monotonous cycle they can¡¯t wait to break, even as introverts (and gamers) fail to understand what all the fuss is about.

Jest apart, one thing¡¯s for certain: Our lives have changed. And each passing day makes that change more permanent, punctuated by an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

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As we are forced indoors for our own safety, and expected to stay there in terms of work from home, here are some broad observations into my extended family and my adjustment to this ¡°new normal¡± over the past couple of months -- beyond just face masks and washing hands, of course.

From the good (in terms of productivity)

Yes, work from home may seem awful when you don¡¯t call the shots and lose your sense of autonomy, but not having to commute to work has been a blessing and reward, as far as I¡¯m concerned. Mainly because I¡¯m not exhausted by the time I reach my desk, as my work day begins.

Apart from my work laptop, I¡¯ve started using the Amazon Echo Plus and my daughter¡¯s iPad more frequently -- something I wouldn¡¯t otherwise imagine using for work, if it weren¡¯t for the extended work from home scenario.

The Echo Plus I treat as a screen-less smart assistant -- using it for setting up calendar appointments, especially. I can ask Alexa to play some white noise in the background, to filter out any disturbances or distractions. And when I want to take a 10-minute social media break after an hour¡¯s worth of work, or ensuring I don¡¯t overshoot my 30-minute lunch break, asking Alexa to set a timer on the Echo is just so easy.

Little things, I know, but oh so useful if you ask me. Alexa has definitely become a daily habit, moreso now than it was earlier to be honest -- relegated to mostly trivial weekend use, especially on my part.

Very early into the lockdown, my daughter accidentally stepped on my unattended work laptop, rendering it completely useless. Luckily, I have an old personal laptop that¡¯s kept me chugging along from home, but it sucks at multitasking. One browser with a few open tabs is all it can handle.

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Enter the 10-inch iPad, which has turned into our dedicated conference calling device. Between 8 am to 12 pm, the circa 2017 iPad is my daughter¡¯s virtual classroom, connecting her to daily interactive school sessions. And from noon to 6-7 pm, it¡¯s my go-to Zoom, Hangout, Google Meet device, sparing my old laptop¡¯s blushes in the process.

The iPad¡¯s 10-inch screen is just right -- not too small, not too big -- for my daughter¡¯s school sessions. And even for me, I can follow someone¡¯s screen-share much better on the iPad compared to my phone¡¯s tiny screen.

I honestly can¡¯t imagine working from home without the Echo Plus and iPad. They¡¯ve been indispensable for my work from home productivity.

To the better (in terms of living)

Me and my father can¡¯t cook to save our life, but we¡¯ve been dividing most other work -- from sweeping and mopping floors, to washing and drying clothes (with the help of the machine), and going out for shopping groceries -- ensuring my mom, wife and sister don¡¯t over-exert themselves during the lockdown.

If there¡¯s one piece of equipment that¡¯s made a big difference in our indoor cleanliness drive, it¡¯s hands down the Dyson V11 Absolute Pro vacuum cleaner which is the new apple of my dad¡¯s eye, as far as gadgets are concerned.

From Eureka Forbes to LG, my dad has gone through his fair share of vacuum cleaners over the years, and they¡¯ve all resembled a cross between a hammerhead shark¡¯s face attached to a spineless giraffe¡¯s neck with no legs on its torso. Not only is the Dyson V11 much better in terms of any traditional vacuum cleaner my dad or I have seen in terms of ergonomics and design, it¡¯s also freaking cool -- resembling a Ghostbuster gun or super-smooth plasma cannon. And completely wireless, too!

Forget the women, my dad and I haven¡¯t stopped competing to put the Dyson V11 through its paces. From sweeping the floor twice a day to sucking dirt out of every nook and cranny, the Dyson vacuum cleaner has handled every surface we throw at it -- metal, wood, glass, cloth and plastic -- with great aplomb. That¡¯s one way to get more men interested in household chores -- give them cool looking toys that can transform work into play.

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Another piece of revelation has been the Dyson Pure Cool Advanced Technology air purifier, which has had a noticeable impact on my daughter¡¯s asthma.

In India, with rising pollution in every big city, we often tend to believe that the indoor air quality in our home is much better than outside. While there¡¯s plenty of research to challenge this notion, it¡¯s small consolation for someone who doesn¡¯t want to leave anything to chance -- especially with a loved one's quality of life on the line.

I won¡¯t repeat all of the Dyson air purifier¡¯s salient features here, there are too many to go through. Suffice to say that I¡¯ve been quite impressed with its live AQI indicator, its filter which instantaneously responds to fluctuations in indoor air quality, and its overall air purification experience.

Thanks to the air purifier, I know exactly how meal cooking in the kitchen can negatively impact indoor air quality, and how the Dyson air purifier helps keep PM2.5, PM10 and other particulate matters and air-borne allergens in check, so much so that I¡¯ve noticed a change in my daughter over the past two months -- she has stopped coughing or wheezing while inside the home -- which for me is the ultimate validation. Sure, I may be misconstruing cause and effect to some extent, but I cannot wholly dismiss what I¡¯ve observed and felt in terms of the difference the Dyson device has made to our family¡¯s quality of life.

Towards the best (in terms of being)

While we are all feeling our work days getting a bit stretched as we work from home, with communication taking up a big chunk of the time, we can¡¯t ignore one of its blessings -- all the time saved in not having to commute to office.

Reclaiming that time and making it mean something has been the focus of my effort, as much as work continues to dominate my weekdays.

Whether it¡¯s starting the day with quiet meditation, walking and exercising to improve personal health, post-work carrom sessions, tuning into post-dinner Studio Ghibli movies on Netflix, and even something as simple as picking the next lullaby on Alexa as we all drift off to sleep each night has been possible for me over the past couple of months because of staying at home.

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They say it takes anywhere from 21 to 90 days to form a new habit, and it¡¯s been 58 days since work from home began for me, and 48 days since PM Modi¡¯s lockdown enforcement. Whether it¡¯s washing hands more number of times than you ever did before or re-watching Groundhog Day or Edge Of Tomorrow to verify whether truth has in fact become stranger than fiction, hope you¡¯re successfully overcoming any feeling of helplessness, busy observing how you¡¯re adjusting to the ¡°new normal¡± and contemplating how you could be doing a whole lot better.